SPRINGFIELD - Want to travel to exotic locations, learn a new language, and get free medical and dental insurance?

All while earning $3,000 a year?

Well, the Peace Corps could be the next job for you, especially if you are over 50 with training in education, business, health, agriculture, or the environment.

Despite the paltry pay, getting a Peace Corps position is harder than ever, thanks to the nation's economic malaise and the corps' enduring appeal.

While applications increased by 14 percent last year, the corps has been forced to eliminate volunteer openings and shave spending in some of the 72 countries it covers in Central America, South America, Africa, and Asia, said a spokeswoman.

"Becoming a Peace Corps volunteer has always been a competitive process, but ... it is more competitive than ever," said Joanna Shea O'Brien of the Peace Corps regional office in Boston.

The corps is conducting five recruiting events in Springfield and Northampton this week.

Started in 1961 in the first months of President John F. Kennedy's administration, the Peace Corps continues to attract college students, unemployed idealists, and others.

But, facing cost increases for fuel, food, transportation, and leases, the corps has cut about 400 positions in operations in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America, said O'Brien.

"Our priority is to make sure we support the volunteers that are out there and preparing to go overseas," she said. "We believe that quality, safety, and security are more important than quantity."

The recruiting events will begin today in Amherst, with an information table from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Keefe Campus Center at Amherst College, and in Springfield, with an informational meeting from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Springfield College's Judd Gymnasium.

An informational meeting will be conducted in Northampton on Tuesday from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Forbes Library, and in Springfield from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. in Western New England College's St. Germaine Campus Center.

On Thursday, an information meeting will be conducted at the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts' Amsler Campus Center, and in Amherst from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on the first floor of the Career Center at College Hall.

On March 31, an informational meeting will be conducted at the University of Massachusetts. It will run from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Room 1320 of the W.E.B. DuBois Library. 